Sheet metal eaves trough



l. 31, 1939. L. 'KUEHN 9 9 SHEET METAL EAVES TROU GH Filed May 7, I938 Patented Jan. 31, 1939 UNITED STATES SHEET METAL EAVES TROUGH' Louis Kuehn, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Milcor. Steel Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Application May 7, 1938, Serial No. 206,551-

6 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved sheet metal eaves trough or gutter and in part is a continuation of my previous application, Serial No. 75,431, filed April 20, 1936.

A purpose of the invention is to provide an improved upwardly open gutter of increased resistance to the particular types of distortion peculiar to such gutters.

A further purpose is to provide a gutter of such increased resistance to distortion by the means of an improved form and relationship of strengthening ribs or grooves, applied in such manner that the utility of the gutter for its normal functions will be improved rather than retarded, particularly in the matter of preventing foreign objects such as leaves, for example, from becoming stuck flat against the gutter interior, where they would be diflicult for the flow of water to dislodge, and would form an obstruction tending to the piling up of additional foreign matter.

A further purpose is to provide a gutter having improved self-clearing utility, particularly in the matter of assisting the flow of water along the gutter to carry foreign matter along with the flow.

A further purpose is to provide a gutter of improved utility and increased resistance to distortion without increasing the difficulty of longitudinally coupling or joining one gutter section to another. A

A further purpose is to provide a gutter of an improved cross sectional form such that ice forming therein may be readily loosened and removed without damage to the gutter.

A further purpose is to provide a gutter section of increased utility in the matter of packaging or nesting for shipment from the source of origin to the point of use.

A further purpose is generally to simplify and improve the construction and operation of gutters, particularly with reference to one or more of the objects previously stated.

The invention consists of the gutter construction herein illustrated, described and claimed, and in such modifications of the gutter illustrated and described as are equivalent to the structure claimed.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts throughout the specification, and in the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, of a gutter section incorporating the invention.

' Figure 2 is a portion of a bottom view of the gutter section shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical section, taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken along line 44 of Fig. 1.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing a cross section ofgutter sections such as shown in Fig. l, nested together.

Figure 6 shows a Vertical section of a modified cross-sectional form of the improved gutter.

The major portion of the length of the gutter section shown in Fig. 1 is of the cross section form shown in Fig. 4, that is to say having a generally half-cylinder form effected by a main wall por- 1:

tion Ill. At the one upper edge there is an outwardly rolled portion I I extending the full length of the gutter section. At the other upper edge an inwardly folded portion I2 extends from the right hand end, Fig. 1, to a point l2a adjacent the other end, at which point the edge is cut away to facilitate folding a portion l3 of the sheet metal back upon itself, the folded portion extending arcuately around a major portion of the arcuate extension of wall II], as shown in Fig. 3, and being outwardly refolded as at M to form an arcuate groove or slot 15 adapted to telescopically receive the right hand end of an adjacent gutter section of a form similar to the section here shown.

' The refolded portion l4 projects to the left, Fig. 1, beyond the main wall I0, and the left end of the rolled portion II is cut away to leave a similarly projecting portion I la, whereby to facilitate the telescoping of another section, it being only necessary, in order to start the telescoping, to rest an adjacent similar section inside the arcuate ledge formed by the projecting refolded portion, and spring the projecting portion i la outside the rolled edge of the adjacent section, following which the adjacent section will be readily telescoped to engage its main wall inside the slot 55 and to engage its rolled edge inside the rolled edge ll.

Extended longitudinally of the gutter section there. is an inwardly formed bottom rib I6 and inwardly formed front and rear side ribs H, i8. The form of the ribs l6, l1, 18, relative to the main wall In, is such as to prevent thin foreign material, such as leaves or paper, from lodging flatly against the interior of the wall II], in which position such material would be difficult or impossible to dislodge by a normal flow of water traveling along the gutter. With ribs as shown such material cannot lodge in the gutter in a position such that water will not get underneath the edges at some points to raise and force the material along with the flow of water. The inward form of the ribs also facilitates the application of the usual form of gutter hangers.

Each of the ribs [6, ll, l8 terminates short of the ends of the gutter section. Thus, at the right hand end, Fig. 1, the ribs terminate at a distance A which is somewhat greater than the longitudinal depth of the slot [5. By reason of the inward forming of the ribs and the termina tion thereof short of the right hand end of the gutter the ribs may provide a maximum of stiffening effect, but will not interfere with the tele-' scoping of gutter sections within the slot l5, as previously mentioned. Similarly at the left hand end, Fig. 1, the ribs l6, H, I8 are terminated short of the gutter end at a distance B, which spaces the ribs outside the zone of the folding required for providing the slot l5, whereby to provide a maximum of stiffening effect without adding to the difiiculty of folding the material to form the slot. At each end the ribs are brought sufficiently close to the end that when the gutter sections are telescoped there will not be sufficient space between the ends of the ribs of adjacent gutters for foreign material to adhere flatly against the interior of the wall whereby, even at the joints, the ribs will operate in the manner previously described, to assist the flow of water in washing foreign material along the gutter.

In Fig. 5 there is diagrammatically shown two nested gutter sections, respectively turned in opposite endwise direction. The ribs ll, I8 being similarly disposed about the vertical central plane of the rib l6 permit of such nesting, and in either position the engagement of the ribs one within the other substantially prevents both lateral or endwise shifting of the one gutter section relative to the other, the endwise shifting being prevented by the ribs of the one section engaging between the abutments formed by the end portions, such as 16a, lfib, Fig. l, of the ribs of the nested section. In other words the nested gutters are interlocked, both laterally and longitudinally, by the engagement of the ribs.

A further advantage of the rib form and position here shown resides in the facility with which ice may be removed from the gutter. A slight springing of the gutter sides laterally will loosen the ice and, there being no reentrant angles inside the gutter, the ice may then be freely dislodged.

The particular left end construction shown in Fig. 1, is to provide a self contained gutter and coupling unit. It is to beunderstood, however, that in a variety of the matters previously discussed the novel features of the gutter are equally useful where the gutter sections are joined by other means as, for example, by soldering, or by the use of separate coupling units of the usual form to simultaneously telescope with adjacent gutter ends. In either instance just mentioned the left end, Fig. 1, of the gutter would be similar to the end shown at the right.

The modified cross section gutter shownln Fig. 6 may be constructed with ends for a self contained gutter and coupling unit, as shown in Fig. 1, or with both ends similar to the right hand end of Fig. 1, and in either case the side ribs may be similarly disposed relative to the vertical plane of the bottom rib, as described for the gutter of Fig. 4, and the ribs are intended to be stopped short of the ends of the gutter section in the manner and for the purposes previously described.

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet metal gutter section having a main wall longitudinally extended in a form providing an upwardly open conduit, said main wall providing a rib portion longitudinally extended to points respectively adjacent the opposite ends 01' the section, but stopped short thereof at each end.

2. A sheet metal gutter section having a main wall longitudinally extended in a form providing an upwardly open conduit, said main wall providing a bottom rib and a plurality of side ribs respectively oppositely laterally spaced from said bottom rib, each of said ribs being longitudinally extended for the opposite ends thereof to stand adjacent the opposite ends of the section, but stopped short thereof at each end.

3. A sheet'metal gutter section having a main wall longitudinally extended'in a form providing an upwardly open conduit, said wall providing a longitudinal rib of a form and position adapted to substantially lock said section against relative lateral and longitudinal movement when said section is nested downwardly with a similar section for said rib to be nested with a similar rib.

4. A sheet metal gutter section having a main wall longitudinally extended in a form providing an upwardly open conduit, said wall at the one end of the section being folded to provide a slotted portion for telescopically engaging the opposite end of a similar section, said wall providing a longitudinal rib extended substantially throughout the longitudinal extension of the wall but stopped short of the folded portion at the one end of the section and also stopped short of the other end of the section.

5. An eaves trough or gutter section, including I a generally horizontal bottom portion, angularly outwardly slanted side portions upwardly open and joined to said bottom portion, a plurality of ribs respectively. associated with different of said side and bottom portions and extended lengthwise of the gutter substantially throughout the length thereof, said ribs terminating adjacent the ends of the gutter section to provide at each end an unribbed portion.

6. An eaves trough or gutter section, including a generally horizontal bottom portion and angularly outwardly diverging side portions, each of said side portions being formed with a longitudinally extending rib terminating short of the opposite ends of the gutter section to provide at each end an unribbed. portion, each of said ribs having a portion extending substantially vertically with respect to said bottom portion and a portion extending laterally outwardly from said vertical portion, whereby reentrant angles between the respective ribs are avoided.

LOUIS KUEHN. 

